Within a city block of each other, The Sonneteer and The Young Man From Atlanta examine early ’50s homophobia, among other subjects, but in very different cultures and using very different styles. Also, guess which gender is likelier to go for Re- Animator the Musical, and which will prefer Having It All. READ MORE
Support Our Gay Youth…“So they won’t feel alone like me”
by Jason Stuart | March 15, 2011
I worked in comedy clubs for over 20 years, as an openly gay comedian. Five years ago I was booked at Zanies Comedy Club in Chicago; it is what we call an “A” room in the comedy biz. It was November and only a frigid three degrees below zero. It was a disaster. READ MORE
The Why Before The What
by Ella Martin | March 15, 2011
Someone needed to collect data on the LA theater scene — specifically, data that would reflect how frequently women’s plays were produced (or, we later decided, “nurtured”) in Los Angeles. This wouldn’t be a money thing, though they did offer a small commission. It was to be a labor of love. Or principle. Or something. READ MORE
Brian Pugach Tells His Fairy Tale at Celebration
by Tom Provenzano | March 11, 2011
What’s a magic mirror to do? Once every century, the mirror is responsible for choosing which “hero’s quest” is to become the next classic fairy tale. A perfect handsome prince, Copernicus, is selected. His only mission is to rescue his true love from a fire-breathing dragon. READ MORE
David Elzer is Having It All
by Tom Provenzano | March 11, 2011
Of the professionals who have turned Los Angeles small theater into a living laboratory of artistic and even commercial success, few have had the impact of uber-publicist and award-winning producer David Elzer. Yet ”for the most part,” he says, “the shows I produce begin on an Equity contract as opposed to the 99-seat plan.” Just a handful of producers choose the same option while operating in an intimate theater space of fewer than 100 seats. READ MORE
Creating a White House Comedy
by Karen Zill | March 10, 2011
We’re very fortunate to live in a country where our elected representatives make up words like “refudiate,” send bare-chested photos of themselves to young ladies via the Internet, and sometimes perform tap dances in the stalls of airport men’s rooms. Fortunate because that saves us creative types from having to work too hard to write shows that give the theatergoing public a satirical way of seeing politicians. READ MORE
Native Voices Opens Carolyn Dunn’s The Frybread Queen
by Steve Julian | March 10, 2011
Part Cherokee, Seminole and Muskogee Creek on her father’s side, Carolyn Dunn is among a growing cadre of Native American playwrights. Her play The Frybread Queen opens Saturday in the Autry Museum’s Native Voices series. READ MORE
Horton Foote’s Young Man Casts Light on Past and Future
by A.R. Cassell | March 9, 2011
After making its debut Off-Broadway in 1995, Horton Foote’s The Young Man from Atlanta will finally have its Los Angeles premiere on March 11. Presented by the Production Company and staged by artistic director August Viverito, the cast is primed and ready to take audiences on a journey back to simpler times, when there was such a thing as too much information and the topic of homosexuality wasn’t up for discussion. READ MORE
Streep Tease Returns to the Bang Comedy Theater
by Julie Riggott | March 9, 2011
Roy Cruz fusses with a silk scarf on a dressmaker mannequin. “Is something funny?” he asks, and the audience bursts out laughing. Channeling Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, he begins the “cerulean sweater scene,” in which a haughty fashion magazine editor tears into her naïve assistant for her lack of fashion sense and respect. READ MORE
LA STAGE INSIDER
by Julio Martinez | March 9, 2011
Picasso, Audrey Hepburn, The Troubies, Madeline, and so much more in this week’s LA Stage Insider! READ MORE
Israela Margalit Plays for a Ménage a Trois
by Cynthia Citron | March 9, 2011
Fascinated by the life and career of celebrated pianist Clara Schumann and her relationships with her then-less-celebrated husband, composer Robert Schumann, and their protégé, Johannes Brahms, famed concert pianist Israela Margalit was determined to write their story. The result is Trio, currently having its American premiere at the Lounge Theatre in Hollywood. READ MORE
Just Imagine One More John Lennon Concert
by Greta McAnany | March 8, 2011
You know you have made it when people create cover bands and tribute shows in your honor. After all, imitation is the highest form of flattery. But it is an even higher accolade when a piece is created to showcase not only your talent as an artist but your value and impact as a social and political figure, and, most important, as a human being. READ MORE
